Reviews

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I am happy to accept books for review provided I find them interesting - for more information, please refer to my Review Policy.

Please understand that all the reviews posted on this blog express my *personal* opinion only. I'm not an expert, just an avid book reader and I use this blog to point out things I like and dislike about the books I read.

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4 October 2010

The fairytale ending was just the beginning…Jessie Woods absolutely believes in fairytale endings. So would you if you had a recession-proof career as a daredevil TV host, a palatial pink mansion, and the dream boyfriend.But, quicker than you can say Cinderella, her life falls to pieces and suddenly her prince isn't quite so charming, her party-loving friends disappear and even her faithful friend Visa no longer loves her… Utterly heartbroken and jobless, Jessie is forced back home, to live with her stepmum and two evil stepsisters.Is it time for her to give up on the dream - or will Jessie learn that happy endings can come in the strangest of places?

I've never read anything by Ms Carroll before, but I fell head over heels in love with this book just based on the gorgeous cover and I knew I had to have it! This was the first book I read on the plane to my holiday and it was a fantastic read, even better than I expected!

I've seen it described as 'fairytale gone backwards' or something like that and I think it's quite a fitting description, although Jessie's life only appears perfect, when in fact it's anything but - all her friendships are terribly superficial and she can't even afford the luxurious lifestyle she's been sucked into. When she's thinking things might be improving, her life suddenly comes crashing down. She makes a huge mistake, loses her job, her Prince Charming is gone and she's forced to move out of her pink house now that she's drowning in debt ... Plus the paparazzi are watching her every move! Worst of all, she's forced to move in with her step mother Joan and her step sisters Maggie and Sharon, who spend their days stuffing their faces in front of the TV. And this is when the fun really begins, ha!

This isn't quite the happiest story out there, but despite some more serious issues, the novel is chock full of HUMOUR. The book had me in stitches in places and I wished I wasn't reading it on the plane where I had to contain my giggles, hehehe!

I loved loved loved the characters! Jessie was a bit of a ditz occassionally, yes, but she was just so loveable! I expected some sort of a diva, but she was anything but. She was really down to earth, not high & mighty at all, which was clearly displayed in how she handled her fall from grace - she was determined to do anything to make ends meet and no job was below her, despite her previous fame. I loved her step family too, especially Sharon and Maggie - they were also both endearing characters that only added to the hilarity of the whole shebang!

I enjoyed the story too and I liked the twist, although there were some other bits that were a bit predictable (it was too obvious who she was going to end up with) ... Nonetheless, I have no complaints whatsoever - the story was great to read and with the help of brilliant characters (who transformed quite a bit as the story progressed) and amazing writing it really jumped off the page!

Also, reading this, I've come to the conclusion that nothing beats Irish chick lit - it just has this special charm to it and its trademark humour that I adore and awesome words like 'eejit' and 'minging', hahaha. I also liked how the title and the cover seemed a bit random - until the very end when they both made perfect sense!

All in all, this is an absolutely FANTASTIC read and I cannot recommend it enough, especially if you're a fan of Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes, Jenny Colgan and other brilliant wit lit authors! And HELLO, how could you possibly resist a cover like this?! It's one of my all-time favourites and the book is worth buying just because it's sooo gorgeous, I couldn't stop staring at it when I wasn't engrossed into it!

In short: this is a cupcake of a book - too pretty and oh so delicious! I want more, please! :)

Wonderful review! You have me all excited now! The cover is gorgeous, the title is amazing and your review mouth-watering! You're absolutely right - nothing beats Irish chick lit, I totally agree. Wishlist it is!